Professor wrote:
> Our wine group meets this Saturday. This month's theme is Pinot Noir. We
> get around the $20 or less rule by having two people share the expense of a
> bottle costing twice the price. What $40 Pinot Noir would most impress our
> group? I was thinking of picking up something from Beaune, but wanted more
> input. Any ideas? Thanks!
>
>

What to get would depend largely on the tastes of your group. What
makes Pinot Noir most special to me is the perfumed nose that you can
get in a well-aged Cote D'Or. If you're buying the bottle tomorrow,
though, that's not something you can get. So, if you're looking for
fruit and prettiness, I'd probably steer toward the New World rather
than Burgundy. If you do want a Burgundy for opening tomorrow, I'd get
a generic Bourgogne or a lighter commune such as Savigny-les-Beaune,
Chorey-les-Beaune, Mercurey, Marsannay or Fixin. I recently had a 2002
Méo-Camuzet Marsannay that was lovely. Alternatively, a Chevillon or
Lafarge Bourgogne from '04 ought to do nicely. For $40, you could even
get a Lafarge Volnay (not his 1ers, though). Other producers to look
for would be Denis Bachelet, Claude Marechal or Maurice Écard. If your
crowd is not as oak-averse as I am, other producers may be acceptable, too.

For an under-$40 New World Pinot Noir, I'd try Domaine Drouhin's 2003 (a
hot year) a Saintsbury Carneros ($ left over) or a Gary Farrell RRV
bottling. All of those wines are made in a more forward style and
aren't overly oaky.

HTH
Mark Lipton